Some vehicles provide a user with the ability to remotely activate vehicle features before the user gets into the vehicle, so that the vehicle is more comfortable when the user actually goes to operate it. One such example is a remote start feature. However, most remote start features turn the entire vehicle on when a user manually activates the feature with a key fob; this can produce certain inefficiencies.
For instance, most remote start features rely on the user to estimate the amount of time that is needed to warm up the vehicle or perform some other task. If the user underestimates the amount of time needed, then the vehicle may still be cold when they go to use the vehicle; if the user overestimates the amount of time needed, then the vehicle may unnecessarily waste fuel while it is waiting. Typically, this amount of time is non-configurable. Most remote start features also turn the entire vehicle on even though the user may only wish to activate certain select features. This too may result in unnecessary fuel consumption.